A Girl Named Rin
by Mirraz
Summary: AU.His world had no color in it. It was a gray and bland world only for dragging a boring and stupid life in or just dying. He was fading when suddenly paint is splattered on his colorless world and a new face brightens the gray sun. She's just one girl... one girl named Rin... Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One : Alone & Crying

Gasps filled the school as she skipped into the hallways. Wide eyes stared at her in amazment. Her beautiful mess of black hair tumbled onto her shoulders when she stopped in her tracks. She wore her hair up in a little ponytail on the left side of her bangs. That black trail of wonder wasn't shining in the sun, like other girls' hair, but was plainly tangled and messed with. It flowed a short ways down her back and stopped at her waistline. The tangled jungle that flowed from her head had a strang smell to it. It possessed the fragrance of tea and old cardboard. She contined to skip making her cheeks turn a soft sakura blossom color. Her face had a tint of tan in it, but couldn't be seen because it was so dirt-covered. The girl was pure hearted and as sweet as chocolate; it was all explained in her eyes. Ah, yes, her eyes; they were beautiful almond eyes that took the breath away of everyone. It was Rin.

Unlike most girls who were adoring new cell phone apps and such, Rin wasn't involved in all of that. She was a shy girl who kept mostly to herself. But with the life she had, you would understand why she was so different... What was this different life you ask? Well this is where the story begins...

Nine years ago...

A crash was heard. It was as loud as a banchee's screech and as imbearable as nails on a chalkboard. Everyone looked out the windows of the school. The students were scattered like insects in the halls, trying to rush outside and see what had happened. Kagome and Sango were the first to push their way through the crowd. Their eyes widened when they saw it; a car had crashed right near their school.

The car was tipped over on its side and across the street from their school. Every student was concerned. Could their be drunken drivers in the city? Were there road spikes? What had happened? No one knew. The only thing the students knew for sure was that it couldn't be a good sign.

" Oh my gosh! Is everyone alright?! What happened!?" Kagome stuttered at Sango. Sango looked at Kagome's tearful face and back at the accident. That's when they heard sirens..., ambulance sirens...

Kagome couldn't stand it anylonger and turned to cry. Sango stared and shivered when she witnessed the doctors carry dead bodies, covered in cloth, out to the open ambulance door. Someone put a hand on her shoulder. It was Miroku.

" It's awful..." The schoolboy said in a serious tone, unlike his normal perverted one. Sango knew then that that was a serious matter. That couldn't be just another car crash.

" Every student, please return to your homes. The school will be temporarlily closed." A voice on the overhead speaker stated as if it didn't really care about the situation. All of the students slowly walked back to their classrooms to retrive their schoolbags and things. When they were leaving the school, they always looked back at the small space on the sidewalk, where the yellow caution tape hung over orange cones. But what they didn't know, was that a kid was still alive shoved underneath one of the car seats.

The little kid opened her eyes to see a world in shades of red. She could smell a tangy odor in the dead air. The grayness of the back seats was the thing she was staring at. What had happened? Where was she? And why was she looking at the bottom of the back seat?

She dragged her body up the car and gazed at the shattered windsheild. It seemed as though the world was tipped over. But then she noticed something else about her awakening; why weren't her twin brothers there to wake her up? She always remembered that her annoying brothers were the ones to wake her, in the exasperating way they did. But now, no pesty faces loomed over hers. She starred at the drivers seats and paused. Her parents weren't there either.

The little girl managed to crawl out of the trunk door. She collapsed on the ground, and her hand was scraped. The seven-year old girl groaned in pain and lifted her groggy and nummed self off the icy cement. Her knees wobbled and she fell on the ground once more. Yet, the girl still managed to try and stand again. She clumsily stood and began to walk, and walk a little faster, until she broke out into a run. No, not a run, a sprint.

Gasps filled her tired lungs, and she coughed her last few breaths before falling to her knees again, shredding her skin. The black-haired girl moaned and cried frozen tears. She stood once again and continued to run.

" Hikaru! Yuki!... Ma! Pops!" She called out into the freezing air. No reply came. She continued to yell running into unfamiliar streets. She groaned and put a hand to her sticky and bloodied face. She tied her windbreaker around her waist and ran faster into the cold and sorrowful night... Her small voice echoed through the dark...

U**N**U

" And the game is interupted by this breaking news. At a nearby school there was a terrifiying car crash. Not only that, but doctors have confirmed that all of the victims are dead. But look at this live footage viewers, here we are at Mokuhyo High School, across the street from the accident, and take a glance of what we found. A mysterious blood trail leading out the back of the c-" The TV was shut off. Ah-Un stretched his arms and sat up from the red sofa. No one listened to the news in their house and the dragon thought that it was natural. So, he just didn't...

Sesshomaru's eyes shot open, awakened by the noise of the television. This was the way it was every morning. He always found himself rising to another long and dull morning, and realized that all throughout his life, it was pointless to awaken to another day. But he had to. He had to drag a sort of life with him, through that boring and stupid world.

He thrust his sheets aside and sighed rubbing his chapped face. Once he could at least make out a blurred version of the world, Sesshomaru lazily sat up and gave another deep sigh. He never yawned, but always gave sighs. Long and depressing sighs that told people, " my mother drank alclohol when she was pregnant with me" . Well, it didn't matter anyway. Nothing did. He figred he'd rather die than live another day of his life. While dying, you could actually learn a few things, but with his life you learn the same lessons every single day.

Okay, so he decided to stop reiviewing his so-called stupid life, and just get on with it. He stood from his bed and sprinted down his room, and up the ladder that lead to the actual house. It was about four' o' clock in the morning, and the icy fresh air struck Sesshomaru hard on the cheek once he had opened the trapdoor that lead in and out of his room. They had no heating because they couldn't afford it, and that's why he felt this cold smack on the cheek every morning.

" G'morning Master. Sleep well?" The two-headed dragon asked as he spotted Sesshomaru emerging from his room. Sesshomaru sent a cold glare directly at the dragon. Ah-Un lifted both hands, with his palms facing his Master.

" Okay, okay. You don't need to give me that eye." The dragon said going back into the livingroom. Sesshomaru grunted and slammed the trapdoor with a mighty bang. The rusty, iron door handle clanked against the old wood of the basement entrance. He closed his eyes and tried to clear them of blurr by moving his hands across his face, but found the rubbing to be no help. So, instead he walked groggily to the fauset in the kitchen, and pulled the frost-covered handle foreward. The freezing water flowed out of the pipe and he winced as he put his hands into it. Sesshomaru slapped the cold water onto his face, instantly waking up and clearing his vision. He looked around hoping to see a different world, but nothing had changed. The sink was still rusty, then floors were still dirty and wet, the counter was still stained with hardened rice, the dishes still stood higher than mountins, and he was still there... still living...

U**N**U

Her hair was messed up and she was dirty and starving. The girl knew that she would have to get food somehow. She heard the growls of her empty stomach and put a hand to the rumbling. She needed food...

The black-haired girl walked over the sidewalks of an unfamiliar street. It was two whole days since the car crash, and she hadn't had any food since then. She groaned and sat down, leaning against a neiborhood sign. The girl knew that she couldn't take much more of her agonizing grief. She had to eat food..., and the only way to satisfy her hunger was to steal.

She ran into a street with lots of bigger buildings and shopping malls. The girl presumed her painful trudging until she saw it; a ricecake left out in the open. She licked her lips in mouth-watering starvation. It was just sitting there... left there. But it was someone's, and taking it would make her a theif..., but..., she was too hungry... So, I guess she could predict what would happen next. She ran up to the steaming food, and put a hard grip on it. The girl ran away knowing she had committed her first felleny, and hopefully, her last.

The girl sank her teeth into the warm cake, and widened her eyes as the sweet flavor steamed in her mouth. She agressively devored the rest of the ricecake and gave a deep exhale of satisfaction. As the wind blew at her face, she noticed a sticky feeling coming from the ends of her lips. She wiped her mouth with her arm and contined to run to nowhere.

After awhile of running, she paused and looked around. No one was in the place she was. It was an empty playground... She walked calmly over to a sad and moss-covered tree and thought that mabey that tree would be her home for awhile. She sat down under it and glanced back at the lonely playground. The black-haired girl stared at the play structure for a moment. She was remembering one summer afternoon, when her brothers chased her around the playground. They all screamed with delight... A warm tear slid down the girl's cheek. She knew that her family was gone. She knew that her brothers wouldn't be there to chase her and she knew that her parents wouldn't be there to calm things down... She knew that she was alone... forever...

U**N**U

Sesshomaru stopped walking... Something wasn't right. He could smell tears... Of course he had caught this scent before, but..., these tears... There was something so... wrong about them... It was really something... But only something...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two : Maybe

" It feels so good to be back at school again!" Kagome shouted, into the warm breeze, stretching her arms hearing a satisfying crack with each joint. She whirled around when she heard her name being called. Kagome smiled the biggest in her life, when she saw her three friends approach her, waving their arms. The girls caught up with Kagome and gave her a slap on the back.

" Hey, Kagome! It's so nice to see you again. " Yuka said with a bright smile engraved apon her lips. They each said their good-mornings to eachother and contined to walk to Mokuhyo Highschool. The sun was shining and everyone of the students was changed in their spring uniforms. That's when many gasps filled the school ground; many girl gasps...

All of the girls squealed as he walked by. His long, white hair flowed behind him like a river of silk. His serious, topaz eyes encaptured every woman's heart. It was the school prince, Taisho Sesshomaru.

" Don't look now Kagome, but... eeeek! It's the all-time school prince! Taisho Sesshomaru!" Kagome turned around, and saw that " perfect " figure for mabey the hundredth or the thousandth time. It sure was him... She turned away and presumed her walking... Her friends stared at her as if she had committed a crime against humanity. They followed Kagome, still looking back and giggling at Sesshomaru's angelic figure.

One of Kagome's friends gave her a light tap on the shoulder. They turned back to see if Sesshomaru was still there and gave sighs of relief. He had gone into the school.

" Uhhh... Kagome-chan? One question... How could your heart not be skipping a beat... or... two...?" A friend said clasping her hands together and looking back two other girls followed Kagome to the locker room and asked her the very same question...

Kagome shrugged... What was there to like about him?

" He's insensitive, irritating, emotionless, cold-hearted, and-"

" Sexy..." Kagome's friend cut in. The girl rolled her eyes and closed her locker with a mighty bang. She had enough of her friends' dreamy talk about Sesshomaru. Kagome simply stormed off and went into the gymn room. There was one person who she could talk to, without a word of Sesshomaru, Sango.

" Kouga! That was the stupidest- and I mean stupidest- pass in the world!" Sango stormed at a frightened Kouga, lying helplessly on the gymn floor. The brown-haired girl put her hands on her hips and was about to scold the poor boy, until Kagome stepped into the room.

" Ah! Kagome-chan!" Sango said , loosening her grip on Kouga's shirt. The school girl ran over to her friend and gave her a huge hug. Sango hugged back.

" It's so nice to see you again, Kagome-chan!" Sango exclaimed, pulling back from the embrace. Kagome smiled and nodded her head. Her black hair tumbled gently onto her shoulders. She was so glad that she could get to see her friend. Not a thing about Mr. Taisho would be said between their talk...

U**N**U

" Yes, yes. We all know about Mokuhyo High getting back on track again. But we are not preschoolers about the matter. So, now class, we continue from our last study session..." The teacher kept on talking as if there were no tomorrow. ' Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, school, blah, physics, blah..., blah..., blah...' Sesshomaru thought, gazing out the window. It was the exact same lesson over and over again to him. Earlier, he had figured, mabey if he went to school, he could escape from his dull house. But no, he was indeed wrong... Just like he always was when the next day of school rolled around.

Two sky larks flew happilly in the air, chasing eachother around, looking almost free. How Sesshomaru wished he could be like one of those larks. Something new was always swimmimg about their busy minds. He wished he had something new in his mind; something to live for, or to care about... something... only something.

U**N**U

" Wait! I can help y-" The woman gasped and dodged the rock that was throw in her direction, as she watched the mysterious little girl dissapear behind trees. She sighed and walked away... Who was that poor kid?

The little girl glanced over her shoulder and sighed with releif. The lady was gone. The black haired girl stopped dead in her tracks and collapsed onto the lush grass. She exhaled deeply and looked up at the blue sky. Small patches of soft white clung to the air as she gazed in amazment at it. She wondered if... her mother, father, and brothers could see it with her, and that if they all would be watching it together... as a family... The warm breeze sent her black bangs flying through the spring wind. It seemed as though she was watching it with her family... A small tear rolled down her bruised cheek...

" Awww! C'mon! Don't pull those fake tears on us ya little squirt!" The seven-year old girl's eyes widened. She spun around to see Yuki and Hikaru sitting beside her. They both smiled and ruffled their sister's messy black hair. She smiled too, and hugged them tightly, crying harder and buirying her face in their jackets. They were alive!...

The little girl's eyes shot open, and she instantly sat up and looked beside her... No one was there... It was all just a dream... She looked around franticly and dug her fingure nails into the ground in frustration,... and pain... She gripped the earth even harder and began to rip it apart, until it was almost as torn a her heart. Rivers of tears flooded down her face and plopped onto the ground one by one. She really was alone.

U**N**U

Sesshomaru's eyes widened at a familiar scent. The smell of sorrow and agony filled his senses... It was those tears again... He shook it out of his concern for that moment. Why was he so interested? Why should he care about these tears? He grunted and laid his back against the chair once more, continuing to gaze out the window.

The two birds were still flying hapilly about the sky. They chirpped cheerfully and one of them flew over a tree, expecting the other to follow. But the delicate bird didn't follow and somewhat ran straight into the tree. Sesshomaru pulled himself closer to the window to watch this now frightening scene. The small lark that had bumped into the tree was falling from the branches, and bounced against the ground, not moving after the fall. Sesshomaru was almost worried for the lark's life. His eyes shook at this horrible event and he was about to turn away, when the other bird flew down to the grass. The lark that hadn't fallen pecked at its friend. It flinched, and began to stand. It stretched its wings and pulled them back somewhat in pain. Its wing was broken...

Sesshomaru was driven into a silent reverie, thinking of how the two birds were hapilly flying about minutes ago, and now both on the ground, one mabey never to fly again. He let the matter go for a moment and looked down at the ancient tale that the class was suppose to memorize. He sighed and began to whisper the story.

" One in a thousand years would look at this life with no interest. It would seem that way to a newly hatched bird. The bird would look up into the sky seeing all the other larks fly by. It would sigh. When would it be its turn to fly? They try and they try but can't seem to flap as the days pass by. So they just give up and gaze into the forever-blue sky. One lark comes up to the bird and asks why he does not fly. The small bird turns away and says words that deny everthing about his wishes. The flying lark lands in the nest, saying everything bright and good about the world. ' " When you think of what attaches you to this world, "' the wise lark explained, ' " your spirit feels lighter and brighter, and ready for flight. The little lark thought deep in his mind of what he lived for and was happy to be there for, and to his amazment, he started to fly. The little lark chirpped hapilly with glee and started flying away with its friend. He now could fly, like the other larks could. As long as he had something to live for, he would." Sesshomaru finished, his eyes at their widest. That couldn't have been just a coincidence. It was a sign...

He looked out the window one last time, seeing the two larks walking on the ground, side by side. One of them started a light flap, and the other started aswell. They both began to fly a little, and soon were off again. They flew out of sight, into the forever blue.

Sesshomaru spoke aloud this time when he said, " They have something to live for. That's why they can fly. They have eachother... but that's why I cannot fly."

U**N**U

The little girl looked up from her tears, when she heard the sound of a lark's call. She gazed up at the sky, trying to find where it was coming from, and soon spotted two larks hapilly flying through the air. They circled around eachother and presumed their happy chirpping. The black-haired girl smiled through her tears and laughed. She thought that mabey..., mabey she could be like one of those larks..., free and joyful. So, with no hesitation, she spread her arms out, as if they were wings, and began to run so fast she felt like she was soaring through the sky..., with the two happy birds by her side... That couldn't have been just another moment. That had to be a sign..., a sign that soon happiness would come in her life. But that was a thought coming from a seven-year-old mind so it wasn't a certain prediction...

But maybe... Just maybe...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three : Hearts Painted Black and White

The steamy gooness was just sitting there on the outside counter and was gone in an instant. The black-haired girl didn't want to steal from other people but her hunger had always got the best of her. So, stealing was her main source of life. She stuck the smooth dumpling into her mouth, and her taste buds tingled with satisfaction.

After she had completely consumed the warm bread, the girl licked the edges of her mouth and ran even faster to her tree. She greatfully collapsed against the tree's trunk and gazed at the grayish sky behind the tree tops. She reached inside her pocket and pulled out a golden locket. She smiled weakly and ran her thumb over the curves of the heart-shaped neckalace. The golden chain dangled lazilly over her wrist and blew in the warm breeze. She carefully stuck her thumb nail trough the crack that opened the heart-shaped frame inside the locket. The neckalace snapped open, and she gazed at the small picture in the frame sadly, remembering the day the picture was taken.

The girl remembered her brothers fighting for space in the photo booth, squeezing her into the small area. She remembered them say, " Make a funny face!" While all of them counted down till the picture was taken. The seven-year old girl saw herself smiling in the locket frame she was holding. She mustered a light smirk at her two fishy- faced brothers in the black and white picture. The girl put the locket back in her pocket and sighed, staring into the light gray sky. Now she knew that her family was gone. Now she knew that they were dead.

Then she remembered... the larks... They were happy, and greatful for the very little that they had, and the little girl knew that she could be just like them. One of things that she did when she wasn't happy, was spread her arms out and pretend to fly with the larks. The girl smiled and did this same thing, feeling as free as the wind... but not happy... She thought for a moment, stopping in the fields... The larks had something to live for... They had eachother... That was why they could fly..., but that was also why she couldn't...

U**N**U

Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder before closing the door behind him. It was warmer outside than in his house, so he decided to get some fresh air. At least the weather suprised him more than his actual life. He sighed and began to walk.

As soon as he approached the streets, conversations and gossip filled his ears. He was immeadiately annoyed, and tried to find somewhere that was quiet. This, being impossible, wasn't the mood to look for in Tokyo. He gave another sigh, and almost gave up on the idea..., until the sound of the city slowly faded as he continued walking. He looked around. Why couldn't he hear anything loud and exasperating? He didn't know... All he knew was that he had found peace and quiet.

Sesshomaru shook his head of the noise and leaned against the trunk of a tree. The place he was standing in looked like an abandoned park. He gazed over to the right to see a sad-looking swing set. That grassy area was really peaceful and silent. He let his mind calm, and slowly sat down against the moss-covered tree. He closed he eyes, thinking that mabey he was dead... It was so quiet... It only took a couple of moments for him to doze off, and seconds later..., he was sound asleep.

U**N**U

The little girl slowly and sadly trudged back to the quiet park. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and broke out into a run. She wanted to go back to her quiet tree. She wanted to rest and see the picture of her brothers she had left at the stump. She wanted to forget everything that had happened that afternoon.

She came about the gray corner and looked around..., it was the same. Swings were sadly hanging in the wind, the trees were still covered in moss, and the sidewalks were still cracked and spray painted all over. The black-haired girl sighed and continued to sulkilly head back to her stump..., that's when she noticed it... A boy... sleeping under her tree...

The breeze blew her bangs up her forehead, in a light and meloncholic way. Her deep brown eyes stared at him in amazment, and she just stood as a statue, as if time itself had stopped. He was pale,white-haired, young, and mysterious...

His eyes flittered against his face and she hid behind another tree, asuming he was waking. The boy's eyelids continued to flutter until they opened against the gray sky. The were golden eyes, that were as beautiful as the sky itself. She dropped her jaw in awe..., when she suddenly remembered..., her locket! It was in the hollow stump.

Sesshomaru rubbed the fuzz from his eyes and sighed, for the eight hundredth time that day. The sun was setting, and he knew he'd have to leave this peaceful place. He sighed once more when he heard a movement in the brush.

The black-haired girl gasped as he jerked his head in her direction. Anger and alert was a clear sign in his eyes, the eyes that she was adoring seconds before. She gulped in some fresh air, and took a step closer, slowly emerging from behind the tree. Sesshomaru's anger faded when her beaten face was revealed; she was just a little girl. He let his guard down, leaning back against the tree once more. She glared at him with a scrunched face, her eyebrows moving down her forehead. He felt like laughing in amusement, for he could sense her trembles.

" Why are you back here? This place looks abandoned." The question popped like a wine bottle on new years. All the girl did was step closer, her face growing fearful and stubborn. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow in confusion. Another question suddenly appeared in his thoughts.

" Where are your parents? I'm sure they're worried about you." The white-haired boy looked at her face that was also showing a hint of sorrow. The black-haired girl stepped even closer still, as if testing him. He glared at her, the same cold glare you'd give to Oblivion. She urged even more closer until their eyes met, and their faces inches apart. That's when a familiar sound was heard. A small chirp was echoing through the park.

The little girl turned around to see two larks perched in the tree above them. She waved at them, while in response they sang loud tweets of joy. She managed to smile, soon realizing how silly she was acting in front of this stranger. She whirrled around and tried to give him a hostile glare, like she had done seconds before, but ended up snorting into her mouth, breaking out into barks of laughter at her own anger. Sesshomaru sat there, amazed at how easily this girl could laugh. And what was she laughing at?

The girl whiped tears from her eyes and gave a sigh, sitting down on the green grass. He still looked at her, but not angrilly. He noted that her attire was very poor and that she herself looked dreadful. Bruises covered her face and an ugly, winding scrape covered her left eye, ruining every inch of beauty that she could have possessed.

The little girl looked to her right, noticing the silence. She began to get up and walk backward slowly. Mabey he would try to 'help' her and put her in an orphanage, where she would be, not only unhappy, but unable to fly with the birds aswell. She looked at him, it was a look of fear and sorrow that dwelled in those almond treasures she posessed. The thought tugged at her uncomfortably, and she eased backward, still keeping an eye on the stranger.

Sesshomaru wasn't comprehending this correctly and quietly stood, making the girl take another step backward. She placed both hands on a tree beside her, ready to run away. The white-haired boy began to wander back to the sidewalk, giving the girl one glance more before turning back to the streets. Rin made a light lunge to her tree and looked back to see that no one was there. He had gone. She gave a sigh of relief and fell back against the mossy trunk. ' That was a close one' she thought as the breeze grew gentler once more.

U**N**U

Sesshomaru quietly opened the wooden door in front of him and slammed it shut, making a picture fall from the wall. He grunted and marched down the hallway. ' Look at me like that, shall she?' Sesshomaru repeated over and over again in his mind. He lowered his eyebrows crossly onto his forehead, zooming past Ah-Un without even a second glance. As soon as he made it to the sitting room, his ear nearly shaved off by chainsaws, he opened the trapdoor that was his bedroom, and slammed the door so hard that the handle came off when he reached his room.

The two-headed dragon stood silent in shock. ' Geez, he probably had a bad day.' Ah-Un thought, sauntering past the trapdoor once he could muster enough courage to move. The dragon made it over to the red couch that sat in the middle of the livingroom, and lazilly colapsed against the arm of the sofa. Ah-Un sipped his tea for a moment of akward silence and slowly arose from the chair, ready to face his master. He dragged himself over to the door, and with trembling claws, opened the entrance to what was now a death trap, his master was so angry.

Ah-Un found himself heading towards where Sesshomaru sat, finishing his school assignment. The dragon gulped in a fresh breath of air as hot sweat trickled down his two foreheads.

" Umm...Master?" seven' foot' five beast stuttered quietly. Sesshomaru lifted his head from his work, and stared at his dragon with malice in his frozen topaz eyes. The white-haired boy set his work aside, and looked up at Ah-Un, awaiting a sentance from the beast.

" Just...a dumb question Master: Why were you so angry when you walked in?" The two-headed creature almost coughed up the last words, as if he had choked on life itself. Sesshomaru, who had picked up his school work was sitting calmly on his bed when he cleared his throat to answer.

" That is none of your concern... Ah-Un, must you know everything that happens to me? Must you know every second of my life?! Leave now!" The white in Sesshomaru's eyes had turned a deep maroon, and Ah-Un was instantly heading out the door. After knowing Sesshomaru for twelve years, Ah-Un knew that it was most likely for his master to be angered at a little thing. Something like a teacher not answering to him, or a bird cocking its head would get him as angry as he was. The beast sighed, now focussed on his tea alone. He knew that the anger wouldn't last for long...

U**N**U

The black-haired girl gazed up at the stars through the branches of her tree, wondering why the day had to end so quickly. She sighed, closing her tired eyes for an instant, when a tiny drop of water buletted onto her nose. She sat up, twitching her nose for awhile until another droplet darted down from the sky. She gazed up, knowing that the rain was just starting. A shiver scuttled down her back and goose bumps dotted their way down her arms. She untied her yellow windbreaker from her waist and cast it about her chilly shoulders. She knew that it'd be a dreadful night.

The girl reached into the hollow stump and pulled out her golden locket. She held it close to her chest, inhaling the warm but chilly spring air. She winced as she held it closer, for it was a bone-chilling cold outside, with the slight mockery of the summer breeze dwindling in the frozen air. The seven-year-old girl looked up to the sky to see that the clouds were only growing blacker by the moment. With slight trouble, she managed to squeeze what she could of herself into the hollow stump. The rain sprinkled her hair with dew, and it shone in the dim light of the crescent moon. The birds wouldn't be chirping that night...

Her almond eyes began to close against the night, and all she could hear the last few moments she was awake was the faint sound of a heavy rain. Her delicate eyelashes fluttered against her pink cheeks and she felt the icy tears escape her burning eyes, with the cold touch of a nightmare flittering gently against her warm face. Seconds later she was falling into a cold, dreamless sleep without the chirp of a lark's happiness in place of her mother's lullaby...

She awoke the next morning to the icy air, not touched by the daybreak's warmth quite yet. She urged out of the mossy stump, scratching her face with small twigs and bark that clung to the hollow tree. The girl shivered and felt her wet nose begin to run. She sniffed roughly, breathing in a whiff of frozen, morning mist. The child felt a burn over her left eye and noticed that the horrid scrape had opened again, only to meet the umerciful, damp daybreak. She cringed and stood stiffly, gripping the skin on her injured eye tighter every step she took.

The black-haired girl limped over to the park walkway and let the morning sunshine thaw out her frozen and nummed face. She sneezed, feeling bitterly ailed by the harsh mist that crudely kissed her face with its cold and dying lips. The wind blew and the little girl grasped her jacket, afraid that the frosty breeze would sicken her even more than she already was. She coughed hoarsilly and sneeze once more, knowing that the cruel morning had plagued her with a cold. The seven-year-old girl frowned at the chilling agony. The larks wouldn't be there for her this time. She knew she was alone. But of course, she was already alone from the start...

U**N**U

Sesshomaru heard the jangling of the housekeys before he left his porch and set out for an early-morning walk. He threw his hands in his jean pockets and gave one of his deep sighs. His class had a history exam that Friday, and it was on his mind eversince his eyes snapped open from another dreamless sleep. Sesshomaru hated the world and its limits. Exams, for instance, were limitted to a certain point so that people's brains wouldn't fry from exhaust. He sighed again, sitting down on a lonely park bench.

After many moments of irritating noises of the city, a small chirp echoed through the streets. Sesshomaru opened his topaz eyes and looked up, catching sight of a lark, perched apon a street sign. The white-haired boy stood from the cold park bench and silently stared at the small creature for a moment or two. The bird chirped once and flew to the next street sign. Sesshomaru stood stiffly until the lark turned around and cocked its head once or twice at the seventeen-year-old boy. It chirped again and again at him.

" You want me to follow you?" Sesshomaru asked the bird, stepping a little closer. The lark tweeted loudly and glided closer to him, stopping slightly in air, but continuing to fly. The high school boy took that as a ' yes' and hesitantly began to follow the little creature. The white-haired boy continued to tag along behind the bird until the sound of the city died. Sesshomaru widened his eyes when the bird perched itself over a tree. The place the creature had lead him to was that abandoned playground, the exact spot where he had met the little girl... She was still there, sleeping soundly under the hollow tree...

Her eyelashes fluttered against her wet face, that her black bangs covered up well. She sat up in an instant, a hoarse cough escaping her trembling mouth. Sesshomaru, completely oblvious to the world around him, quietly and slowly walked towards the weasing girl looming over her poor figure like a giant.

The black-haired girl noticed the shadow casted apon the ground before her and franticly spun around. She dropped her jaw at the frightening sight of the tall seventeen-year-old boy before her. She put two hands over her head, ready to be taken to an orphanage or killed all the same. This was it!

Sesshomaru pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and held it up to the girl who was now crying from the thought of the orphanage. The white-haired boy grunted, making the girl lift her head from her scraped hands.

" Here. It looks like you need this." He said gesturing to her running nose. She sniffled once and hesitantly lifted her hand up to take the tissue in between two of his pale fingures. The little girl took the cloth in her small hands and wiped her cold nose with it. She sneezed again, this time into the handkerchief and not her icy hands. Her innocent almond eyes looked at him, looked at him with thanks. She sneezed again, and blew her wet nose into the warm cloth. There was silence for a moment and the breeze seemed to blow quieter and softly than before when Sesshomaru reluctantly took in a breath to speak.

" You look like you were here all night. Don't you have a home?" The high school boy asked the little girl. She glanced at him for a second, sniffling roughly into her jacket sleeve, and then she looked down at her teared sneakers. She really didn't know what to say. What was there to say? That she didn't have a family or a home? That they were all dead and that she was the only one who survived? So, she didn't say anything. She was afraid to...

" Hello?" Sesshomaru said, a little louder than his normal voice. She gasped, snapping back into the real world. She had no idea she'd been silent for so long. To her, it seemed like only a second had passed, when in realitly, Sesshomaru waited five minutes for a response. He leaned against the trunk and sat down. His hair was clinging to the tree's bark as he set himself down, propping his head up on his hand.

" What about a family?" The sevnteen-year-old boy asked, this time with a hint of sympathy. The girl gazed down at the blades of green grass, covered in dew. She continued to stare, until her vision became blurred with tears. A family? She felt as though she was pierced by a dagger of sorrow, and buried her head in her knees and began to cry. She felt like she didn't have a choice. She'd have to tell him. The black-haired girl lifted her head from her bruised knees and reluctantly opened her mouth to speak. No words would come, but she'd have to tell him. She really didn't have a choice...

" You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Rin eyed him, wiping her tears away. She didn't have to tell him...if she didn't want to? He gave her a choice? An actual choice? She looked at him for a little while longer, until she couldn't help but smile. Time stopped for an eternity as Sesshomaru received the girl's smile. Even when she was pitifully ugly, her smile was as beautiful as the setting sun.

" Can you at least tell me your name?" He asked, making the girl sit back against the mossy tree. She thought for a moment, words not coming to her. The black-haired girl than knew how to tell him without words. She looked down at her wrist to find that her favorite bracelet was still there. The girl greatfully ripped it from her arm, and showed it to the white-haired boy.

The characters were smeared slightly but still readable, and were written apon simple wooden beads. He looked at them with interest before actually reading them. ' This is an odd name.' he thought, turning to the girl.

" You're name's Rin?" He asked her. She nodded her head with enthusiasm and carefully tied the beads back onto her wrist. The breeze picked up and blew their bangs violently but sweetly across their foreheads. The sun set, and Sesshomaru picked himself up and left bidding the little girl a short good-bye.

U**N**U

He closed his eyes against his ceiling as he stared at it from his bed below. His proceedure had changed that day. Something new had happened when he met up with...a girl...named Rin...


End file.
